Travel in a Boat Along the Cosmos
by Yotsubadancesintherain5
Summary: A girl who lost her shadow and a child that smelled of ink. Takes place in the Fairyland series by Catherynne M. Valente. Part 13 of the Yotsuba & Frisk series.


It had started when Yotsuba was exploring after a great rain, almost like a typhoon, and she had stepped into a puddle that swallowed her up. She felt the water envelope her and it swirled downward, and in the panic she nearly lost all of her breath and definitely lost one of her rain boots.

She was pushed upward into the sea, foaming and angry. Yotsuba could do nothing but take in breaths and hope that the water would not crush her. The water felt like a knife, and she felt as if something was torn from her. The greatest wave swelled up and crashed, and she gripped sand, climbing out of the water.

Yotsuba felt sick, and tried to resist the urge to rub her eyes, knowing that the sand and salt would do no good. The sun shone on the sand, making it bright, and she shut her eyes tightly, trying not to cry.

She eventually stood up and felt strangely light. Yotsuba looked behind and screamed.

She did not cast a shadow.

She would have screamed until her voice became hoarse, but she heard a voice call out, "Are you all right down there?" and thought it was a grown-up ready to help.

Yotsuba hurried up the slope from the beach to the mainland and followed an approximation of the sound of the voice. She nearly fell in her haste, and couldn't find any words when she saw the grown-up.

The grown-up had the face of a goat, dressed in a cloak that looked like the run of paint on a canvas. When she moved to kneel closer to Yotsuba's height the colors changed. Behind her stood a child, one dressed in clothing that had words marked in ink upon the cloth.

"Whereabouts did you come from?" asked the grown-up. "Do you live under Fairyland's ocean? What is your name?"

"No, I fell into a puddle..." Yotsuba wouldn't let this land steal her name too.

"They call me the Overseer of the Ruins. This is my child, Frisk." The Overseer put a paw on her child's back and gently pushed them forward. "They came from the place where humans live. It was difficult to convince the fairies to give them up, but you know how fairies are with human children."

"No..."

"Ah, they find everything to be a great trick. The Marquess has tried to stifle their folly but they are slippery."

"I'm a human, too," Yotsuba said. She stepped back if it turned out that information would cause her harm. "I'm looking for my shadow."

"My dear, if you have lost it then it has gone to Fairyland-below. You ought to give up on it. Perhaps now it has become a great teacher in Quiet Physicks or established a great statue in royalty's honor. It would be unwise for you to go down below. You have too much of the sun in you."

"But I want my shadow back." Yotsuba tried to not let her words have too much of what her father would call whining.

"I suppose if you were to take the correct steps, you could accomplish your want," The Overseer said. "It would be cruel to deny that. The wanting would grow in your wild heart like a diseased tree."

The Overseer rested her paw on the top of Yotsuba's head. It felt heavy and Yotsuba could see a place where the sun never stopped shining.

"If you go to Asphodel, you may start your Quest." The last word sounded powerful.

Frisk tugged on the sleeve of the Overseer's cloak and made fast motions with their hands. Perhaps it was some sort of magic, Yotsuba thought.

"You would like to go with her, my child?" The Overseer's eyes were clouded with melancholy but she smiled in spite of it. "I understand. I can not keep you sheltered forever. You may go with her."

The Overseer tore off a piece of her cloak and fashioned a makeshift shoe for Yotsuba. She told Yotsuba that Frisk knew where the place was, and she wished them luck on their Quest.

Frisk held out their hand to Yotsuba, a wide smile on their face. She took it, and they walked together.

Yotsuba and Frisk arrived in Asphodel without injury and they marveled at the brightness of the city. Yotsuba's eyes watered at the glinting glare and she shook off Frisk's concern. Frisk knew where to go, and Yotsuba followed closely. When they were at the place, Frisk turned around and looked down at their shadow. They shook their finger at the shadow, as if telling the shadow to stay put. Or, the shadow was telling the human to not stray too far.

Yotsuba held onto one of the handles of the door and Frisk did the same, pulling the door open. The darkness within made Yotsuba see a tint of green and she rubbed at her eyes. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw a lizard that had grown to a human size, wearing old clothes and what looked like a stuffed doll of a fish-like creature resting on her shoulders.

"I am the Sibyl," said the scaly creature, "What use do you have for me?"

"We want to go underground," Yotsuba said firmly. She tried to grab for Frisk's hand but only got a fistful of curtain.

"Fairyland Below," said the Sibyl. "You cannot go down there. You both have too much of the sun in you."

"Not this again," Yotsuba muttered sulkily. "We are on a Quest!"

"Such a word will have no effect on me," the Sibyl said. "And if you can't convince me then you can't convince my wife."

"I'm not afraid of your wife, so there!" Yotsuba declared, her voice stumbling on the last word.

There was light, and the two looked over to see that Frisk had pulled back the curtain.

The Sibyl recoiled and Yotsuba thought it was because of the sun. But she walked to Frisk and clutched one of their sleeves. Frisk tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

"The Overseer; I would recognize her clothing material anywhere," said the Sibyl. She leaned down and looked at Frisk closely. "So she rescued a human child. Tell me, does she know that the Marquess was vanquished?"

Frisk shook their head and they pulled at their arm again. Yotsuba charged and shoved the Sibyl. She stumbled, but let go of Frisk's arm.

"How could- No, I apologize," said the Sibyl. "I forgot how fragile humans are. If the Overseer sent you it must be dire."

She stepped back and set the stuffed doll on the floor.

The doll grew tall, the stitching and seams giving way to something real, a live being. She turned around and picked up the lizard doll that was on the floor, placing it on her shoulder. She looked at the children with a toothy smile.

"If you want to go to Fairyland Below I'll have to get the sun out of you."

She presented the children with clothes that would cover up what they were wearing. This happened because Frisk adamantly refused to abandon the clothes given to them by the Overseer and Yotsuba followed.

The second step the wife did was hold up a hairbrush and beckon the two children to a stool. When the wife brushed Yotsuba's hair she felt as if something was draining.

At the end of it the wife gave them a mirror. Yotsuba ran her hand through her hair; it looked like the shadows of a deep forest, the green tinged with black. Frisk's hair was the pitch darkness of the deep sea.

"We've become ghosts," Yotsuba said. Her comment was not answered for the wife opened a crevice in the wall and pushed the children to the staircase below.

The crevice shut behind them. After a few shocked seconds, Yotsuba made a rude noise and said, "Then let's walk down these stairs."

Halfway down Yotsuba realized she had forgotten to ask how the Sibyl and her wife could change into dolls. Her pout was lost to the darkness.

At the bottom of the stairs, to both of their relief, there was light. The streets there were empty, and there was a great commotion heard further down.

As they walked, Yotsuba felt the ground disappear and lifted up into the air. The air escaped her, her stomach feeling like it was being squeezed.

"LOOK AT THESE ADORABLE SHADOWS, MY BROTHER!" boomed a voice, "THEY'LL BE MOST ADMIRED AT THE REVEL!"

"steal the show."

Yotsuba was looking at the face of a skeleton and she squirmed, her legs and arms flailing. "Put me down!"

"OF COURSE, I MUST SEE THE OTHER ADORABLE SHADOW!"

The skeleton put her down and picked up Frisk, and Yotsuba attacked his legs. "Put them down, too!"

"I APOLOGIZE, LITTLE SHADOWS!"

Frisk was safely on the ground, rubbing their stomach.

"LITTLE SHADOWS, YOU MUST JOIN US FOR THE REVEL!" the skeleton declared. He pointed his hand at a short skeleton that Yotsuba hadn't noticed, but heard. "THERE IS A NEW SHADOW JOINING US! IN FACT, SHE LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE YOU!"

Frisk tugged at Yotsuba's sleeve. They pointed where the noise was, nodding their head.

"I want to go there," said Yotsuba.

The Revel was hosting a grand feast before dancing was to begin. Frisk followed the two skeletons and Yotsuba kept her eyes out for a shadow that looked like her.

She couldn't find anybody that looked like her, so she asked the taller skeleton, "Can I sit on your shoulders?"

"OF COURSE YOU CAN!" Quicker than Yotsuba could say candy she was on his shoulders. She looked out at the large table, filled with food, and spotted someone on the far end that was her size.

She climbed down from the skeleton and thanked him. She whispered to Frisk that she had seen her shadow and after saying good-bye to the two skeletons they walked to the far end of the table.

When they got there Yotsuba's shadow was already eating what looked like a pastry the color of the sea. Yotsuba took a breath and said, "Let's go home."

Her shadow stopped eating and grinned, wider than Yotsuba thought possible. "You made it. And no. You left me in the sea!"

"It was an accident," Yotsuba said. "It was cutting both of us up, and-"

"No excuses," said her shadow. "It took too long. And I don't want to go back. There are too many grown-ups that eat our ice cream and don't let us use bubble toys. Weren't you tired of it? Stay here."

Something in Yotsuba said yes, but a stronger part of her hissed no. She looked at her shadow sternly and said, "Leave, or I'll-"

"Do what? I'm staying here."

Her shadow spared a glance at Frisk and chuckled. "And your friend can't make me, either. Go home, if you want. But I'm not going with you."

Yotsuba clenched her hands into fists, her teeth gritted. She turned and ran.

Frisk found her on the street where they first met the skeletons, wiping away her remaining tears. They sat beside her, taking a moment for her to calm down.

When she did, Frisk tapped her shoulder and pointed at their shadow, mimed scooping it up and they held out their hands to her.

"Oh, no, Frisk, I can't take your shadow. If I do, your shadow won't ever see your mom or the beach or…"

Yotsuba began to smile.

She stood up and helped Frisk to their feet.

It was more difficult this time to find her shadow, as the dancing had begun, but when Yotsuba dance-walked around the courtyard she found her shadow. Her shadow was dancing alone so Yotsuba tiptoed and held her shadow by the shoulders.

"Let go of me-"

"Listen," Yotsuba said. "Do you really wanna leave home behind? If I leave then you can't find me. I'll stay here with you as long as you want. But in the end I want to go home. I want to see daddy and everyone else again."

Her shadow's lip wobbled. "Don't you want to be free?"

"I am free," Yotsuba said. "But you weren't. And I'm sorry."

Her shadow was silent. The dancing continued around them.

"I'm glad to follow. I thought you left me," said her shadow. "I want to go with you."

"But it is time to dance." Yotsuba smiled at her shadow and took her shadow's hand. They danced together and at the end of the Revel Yotsuba felt complete.

She found Frisk and let them know that her shadow had returned. They walked together to look for a way out and there was a small patch of light coming from a hole in the ceiling.

They climbed up the hill and made it to the patch of light, digging through the dirt and roots. After a long while, their hands covered with dirt and clay, the hole was big enough to crawl out of. Yotsuba helped Frisk up, and they reached out their hands to pull her out.

"GOOD-BYE SHADOWS!" Yotsuba heard a voice bellow and she looked down, down to see the two skeletons there.

"Good-bye!" She waved at them and grabbed Frisk's hands.

The sun was glaring and Yotsuba found that the clothes given by the wife were torn and dirty. The two discarded them, the clothes underneath none worse for wear.

There were waves crashing, and Yotsuba saw the Overseer sweep up Frisk into her arms, calling, "My child, my child" and holding them close.

"We made it," Yotsuba said, and she looked back to see her shadow there.

"You've finished your Quest," said the Overseer. She let Frisk down. "If you wish you can go home. Go over the hills and you will be where you once were."

Yotsuba asked, "Will I be able to come back?"

"Perhaps," said the Overseer. "When you are older. The Quest will not be so simple then, but it will be quite exciting."

Yotsuba nodded. "Thank you."

She turned to Frisk, "Thank you; I couldn't have finished my Quest without you. I wish I could give you something."

She thought of what she didn't want Fairyland to steal away. Yotsuba made a motion for them to come closer and she whispered, "My name is Yotsuba."

Frisk nodded solemnly and gave her a hug good-bye.

Yotsuba ran to the hills and waved good-bye just before she crossed over them.

She saw the grass turn into concrete, and back in this normalcy she thought it was a trick. But the shoe from the Overseer was still on her foot, unharmed by the rainwater on the ground.

**A/N: Originally posted on AO3 on May 23 2017**


End file.
